


Music Heals the Soul

by DeathxReader_otp



Category: The Cruel Prince ( The Folk of the Air ), The Folk of the Air - Holly Black, The Wicked King ( The Folk of the Air )
Genre: Crack Fic, F/M, I don't know, Mad Jude, Middle of the night idea, Music, POV Cardan, Songs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 05:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20334475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathxReader_otp/pseuds/DeathxReader_otp
Summary: Cardan comes to surprise Jude in the mortal realm, only to find a little boy and a song playlist called To my dear Husband.---Cardan finds Jude's salt playlist™.---The playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLa6Yuwcz2dqhlAGcSDocX95cusws6rJ0





	Music Heals the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> I thought these songs fit their relationship pretty damn well. 
> 
> The playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLa6Yuwcz2dqhlAGcSDocX95cusws6rJ0

Cardan walked with long strides down the sidewalk, even though he had dressed as a mortal and glamoured himself he still seemed to draw eyes. He felt smug and accomplished as he walked into the  _ apartment _ or whatever mortals called it, opening the glass doors grandly as if his kingdom spanned across the border and into the mortal realm.

He walked to the human that was eyeing him warily over the top of his mortal contraption. He walked silently, one of the many tricks that he had the roach teach him over the three months that Jude had been  exiled  absent. 

Even though he was proud of himself for getting so far off of the little tidbits of information he had gathered about the mortal world he felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach. He had thought through a thousand and then some situations where they met again. Some ended in bloodshed, others in tears.

But there were some that did not end that way, there were some that ended in the feeling of her skin under his lips and her fingers laced in his hair. But every time those came to mind so did the flash of her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and betrayal. Her screams as the knights carried her off and dumped her on a street. 

And suddenly all of the bravo seemed to drain from him as if the plug was pulled from a drain. He shook his head once more and walked to the counter gracefully, a smirk plastered on his face.

“Where does Vivienne Duarte live,” his words were filled with so much glamor the man seemed to turn to water. With a small absent smile as he told him the room and floor, words barely audible. Cardan's smirk turned to a grin as he turned to the stairs because god be damned he was not going into whatever snapping metal box the people around him were going in.

As he crawled up the stairs the smile on his face became more and more forced, panic seemed to build with every step he took towards his wife. He knew full well that he might be walking to his death but it was a tempting one indeed. 

Once he was at the door, he felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck. He ignored it, knocking and bracing for the worst. It opened after a moment and Cardan blinked, neither Vivienne or even Jude stood in front of him. In fact, the only thing he could see was a pair of small horns that seemed to drown in golden locks. He peered down to see Oaks small face, “Mr. Uncle High King Cardan Brother Sir,” he finally asked tentatively. Cardan grinned at the small boy, forgetting the lingering threat of Jude slaughtering him in cold blood. “Uncle or Cardan will suffice little one,” he said ruffling the small boy's hair. Cardan searched the inside of the house for any sign of the two girls, finding nothing he frowns. They couldn’t have left them alone…

“Where are Jude and Vivienne,” Cardan asked the small boy. 

Oak nodded sagely, “Vivi is in the bathroom and Judes at work.”

Oak perked up and grabbed his arm, tugging him inside and past a disbelieving Vivienne and into a room. The room was one of a girl, clothes littered the floor and the bed was undone. Laying across the desk were stacks upon stacks of books and papers. Oak merrily hopped onto the desk chair and pulled out a seeming slab of metal. Miraculously he opened it and pressed some buttons, part of the contraption lit up to a screen that was black with white words. On the upper left corner were four pictures that seemed to have nothing in common. Underneath it was words that made Cardan's eyes widen.

_ Dear husband. _

Oak did something and the contraption started belting out sounds, which he came to realize was music. It was unlike fae music for it was loud and upbeat, many different sounds that he had never heard before mixing with a man’s deep voice.

( ** I hate everything about you: Three days Grace** ) 

“ _ Every time we lie awake _

_ After every hit we take _

_ Every feeling that I get _

_ But I haven’t missed you yet _

_ Every roommate that we wake _

_ By every sigh and scream we make  _

_ All the feelings that I get  _

_ but I still don’t miss you yet _

_ Only when I stop to think about it…” _

Oak smiled and bopped his head to the beat of the song but Cardan stood by stiffly waiting for the song to pick up.

“ _ I hate everything about you, _

_ Why do I love you!” _

His mind seemed to narrow down to those simple words, it was ridiculous really. I was simply a song and nothing more. But even still his heart pinched.

“ _ I hate everything about you, _

_ Why do I love you?” _

The words repeated as the song went on, Cardan simply listened. In a way, the roughness of the singer made the song feel so much more alive. ( **I know its an old song, fight me** )

The song came to a close and Cardan was at a loss for what to do, he looked at Oak who smiled up at him, “This song is a lot like the one mommy sings,” he giggled.

Cardan knew that this song would be much mellower as the soft yet vibrant notes started to play. The harp came into play as a women's voice came from the strange box. Her voice was soft and somber as she started.

(  **Hurricane Drunk: Florence + the Machine** ) 

_ “No walls _

_ Can keep me protected _

_ No sleep _

_ Nothing in between me and the rain _

_ And you can’t save me now _

_ I’m in the grip of a hurricane _

_ I’m gonna blow myself away,” _

Cardan had to keep himself from grimacing at her words, it struck too many cords.

** _Kiss me till I am sick of it._ **

He grimaced as more voices joined the woman, her singing became louder and with more passion.

_ “I’m going out _

_ I’m gonna drink myself to death _

_ And in the crowd _

_ I see you with someone else _

_ I brace myself _

_ Because I know it’s going to hurt _

_ But I like to think at least things can’t get any worse.” _

Cardan felts his fingers drum to the rhythm of the song but his mind drowned in the words, it was as if it was both he and Jude were the one in the story. Each one on different sides.

_ “No hope hope _

_ I don’t want shelter  _

_ No calm _

_ Nothing to keep me from the storm _

_ And you can’t hold me down _

_ Because I belong to the hurricane _

_ It’s gonna blow this all away…” _

He simply lets the lyrics wash over him, for once not caring if they meant something to her. 

_ “I hope that you see me _

_ Because I’m staring at you _

_ But when you look over _

_ You look right through _

_ Then you lean and kiss her on the head _

_ And I never felt so alive  _

_ And so dead.” _

For a moment he wanted to shut the awful soundbox and run back to Elphame, tail tucked between his legs so he could drown himself in wine. But he didn’t, he couldn’t. The song played on and soon came to an end like the last. They were much shorter than fae songs, they did not tell a long drawn out story. It was like poetry that was repeated, it was the singer that brought it to life.

Oak looked at him with his large childish eyes, “ Vivi says I have to do my homework or I won't be able to have pop tarts.” Oak seemed to droop at the prospect of not getting whatever  _ Pop Tarts  _ were. So Cardan smiled, “then you’d better do you work. I’ll wait for Jude here,” then he leaned in closer.

“Don’t tell her I’m here, I want it to be a surprise,” he saw Oaks eyes flash with mischief as he nodded and ran off. 

And Cardan stayed and listened. Some of the songs were unsavory and cruel, the melody seemed wrong and the voice irritating but he continued.

It seemed as if hours went by before the door rattled open, in the frame stood Jude in all her glory.

Her chestnut hair was tied in a bun and she was wearing dark human clothes. In a flash of movement, she had a knife to his throat. 

(  **Bust your Kneecaps: Pomplamoose** ) 

_ “Johnny don’t leave me,” _

“What the fuck are you doing here Cardan.”

_ “You said you’d love me forever,” _

“I’ve come to see my lovely wife, it that so hard to believe?”

_ “Honey believe me,” _

“Yes.”

_ “I’ll have your heart on a platter.” _

“I’m here because Elphame needs you.”

“ _ Might you recall,” _

“Yes, because Elphame needs the kin of a traitor and a prince slayer.”

_ “We own a small family business,” _

“Jude…”

“ _ And the family won’t like this,” _

“I need you.”

“ _ They’ll bust your knee caps.” _

She pushed off him roughly, a fire burned in her brown eyes as she sent the knife flying into the table behind her. The blade wedging into the polished wood with a thud. 

“If you needed me you wouldn’t have exiled me and laughed as they dragged me off never to return,” venom laced each word. Every one was more painful than the dagger that had been against his throat. 

Instead, he calmly said, “I said the crown can pardon you dear wife, not the King.” 

He could see the gears click in her head, turning and turning. Then the knife was out of the wall and once again against his throat. 

“You deceitful BASTARD,” she snarled at him, and for a moment, he saw her as one of the gentries. Terrifying and Gorgeous and oh so very spiteful. He couldn’t help the grin that wanted to work its way onto his face.

“I’m fairly sure you’re just incompetent,” Jude sent him a look so hateful that he wouldn’t be shocked if flowers died from.

“Come back to your kingdom, my Queen.” 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Lol.  
This was supposed to be cracky...


End file.
